The Gospel of Luke

by Pablo T. Gadenz

  [2:51]

  Afterward, Jesus returns with Mary and Joseph to Nazareth, where he was obedient or “subject” to them. For her part, Mary kept all these things in her heart, seeking to understand them better, as she did after the shepherds’ visit (Luke 2:19).

  [2:52]

  In conclusion, Jesus’ increase in wisdom and favor is again highlighted (2:40). Since Jesus’ “understanding” has also just been mentioned (v. 47), there may be an allusion here to the qualities of the messiah, as prophesied by Isaiah: “The spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him: / a spirit of wisdom and of understanding” (Isa 11:2). Jesus also increases in age, meaning growth in stature and maturity as well. When he next appears in Luke’s narrative, he will no longer be twelve, but about thirty years old (Luke 3:23).

  LIVING TRADITION

  The Joyful Mysteries

  The messianic joy foretold by the prophets (Isa 49:13; Zeph 3:14) has arrived in the events recounted in Luke’s first two chapters. They bring “joy” (Luke 1:14; 2:10) and “gladness” (1:14, 44)a as Mary, Elizabeth, and others “rejoice” and “exult” (1:14, 28, 47, 58). For centuries, Christians have meditated on these texts as they pray the Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary. St. John Paul II explains:

  The first five decades . . . are marked by the joy radiating from the event of the Incarnation. This is clear from the very first mystery, the Annunciation, where Gabriel’s greeting to the Virgin of Nazareth is linked to an invitation to messianic joy: “Rejoice, Mary.” . . . Exultation is the keynote of the encounter with Elizabeth, where the sound of Mary’s voice and the presence of Christ in her womb cause John to “leap for joy” (see 1:44). Gladness also fills the scene in Bethlehem, when the birth of the divine Child, the Savior of the world, is announced by the song of the angels and proclaimed to the shepherds as “news of great joy” (2:10). The final two mysteries, while preserving this climate of joy, already point to the drama yet to come. . . . To meditate upon the “joyful” mysteries, then, is to enter into the ultimate causes and the deepest meaning of Christian joy. . . . Mary leads us to discover the secret of Christian joy, reminding us that Christianity is, first and foremost, euangelion, “good news,” which has as its heart and its whole content the person of Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh, the one Savior of the world.b

  a. The Greek word that the NABRE translates “joy” in 1:44 is translated “gladness” in 1:14.

  b. John Paul II, Rosarium Virginis Mariae (On the Most Holy Rosary) 20 (emphasis in the original).

  Reflection and Application (2:41–52)

  Obedience. St. Maximilian Kolbe writes:

  Obedience is the one and the only way of wisdom and prudence for us to offer glory to God. If there were another, Christ would certainly have shown it to us by word and example. Scripture, however, summed up his entire life at Nazareth in the words: “He was subject to them” [2:51]; Scripture set obedience as the theme of the rest of his life, repeatedly declaring that he came into the world to do his Father’s will. Let us love our loving Father with all our hearts. Let our obedience increase that love, above all when it requires us to surrender our own will. Jesus Christ crucified is our sublime guide toward growth in God’s love.27

  The sanctifying value of ordinary life. St. Josemaría Escrivá invites us to meditate on Jesus’ hidden life in Nazareth: “Of Jesus’ thirty-three years, thirty were spent in silence and obscurity, submission and work.”28

  1. Also suggested, and sometimes linked to a tax census, is a registration for the oath of loyalty that was sworn to Augustus throughout the Roman Empire in connection with his being awarded the title pater patriae (“father of the country”). See Res gestae divi Augusti (The Deeds of the Divine Augustus) 35; Josephus, Jewish Antiquities 17.42; Jack Finegan, Handbook of Biblical Chronology, rev. ed. (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1998), 305–6; Armand Puig i Tàrrech, Jesus: An Uncommon Journey (Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2010), 82; Bieke Mahieu, Between Rome and Jerusalem: Herod the Great and His Sons in Their Struggle for Recognition (Leuven: Peeters, 2012), 243–53, 261.

  2. Jewish War 2.93–98; Jewish Antiquities 17.221–29, 317–21. See Mahieu, Between Rome and Jerusalem, 334–49.

  3. Jewish Antiquities 18.1–10, 26.

  4. M.-J. Lagrange, Évangile selon Saint Luc, 2nd ed. (Paris: Gabalda, 1921), 66–68. The NIV and ESV indicate, as an option for the translation, a census or registration “before” Quirinius. See also Stanley E. Porter, “The Witness of Extra-Gospel Literary Sources to the Infancy Narratives of the Synoptic Gospels,” in The Gospels: History and Christology, ed. Bernardo Estrada, Ermenegildo Manicardi, and Armand Puig i Tàrrech, 2 vols. (Vatican City: Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 2013), 1:452–58; Puig i Tàrrech, Jesus: An Uncommon Journey, 89–91; Mahieu, Between Rome and Jerusalem, 447–64.

  5. David E. Garland, Luke, ZECNT (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2011), 119.

  6. Porter, “Witness of Extra-Gospel Literary Sources,” 1:464.

  7. Dialogue with Trypho 78.5.

  8. Jerome, Epistle 58.3.

  9. See Rainer Riesner, “Bethlehem, the Birth Stories and Archaeology,” in Estrada, Manicardi, and Puig i Tàrrech, The Gospels: History and Christology, 1:487–93.

  10. See Kenneth E. Bailey, Jesus through Middle Eastern Eyes: Cultural Studies in the Gospel (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 2008), 25–36.

  11. See Riesner, “Bethlehem,” 493.

  12. See m. Sheqalim 7:4, which refers to Migdal-Eder (“tower of the flock”) near Bethlehem (see Gen 35:19–21; Mic 4:8).

  13. Luke 4:18, 43; 7:22; 8:1; 20:1.

  14. In Luke’s Gospel, the word christos is always translated “Messiah” by the NABRE since it retains its function as a title (e.g., 2:26; 3:15; 4:41; 9:20). Elsewhere in the New Testament, when it functions as another name for Jesus, it is generally translated “Christ.”

  15. Some later manuscripts have a slight variation at the end of the verse, leading to the translation familiar from Christmas carols: “peace on earth, good will to(wards) men.”

  16. Andrés García Serrano, The Presentation in the Temple: The Narrative Function of Lk 2:22–39 in Luke-Acts (Rome: Gregorian & Biblical Press, 2012), 35: “The possibility of Mary as eyewitness is still open. Luke could have received some information about Jesus’ infancy from family traditions in the early Jewish Christian community in Jerusalem.”

  17. Gregory the Great, Homily 7, in Forty Gospel Homilies, trans. David Hurst (Kalamazoo, MI: Cistercian Publications, 1990), 51.

  18. Cyril of Alexandria, Homilies on Luke 2:7, in Commentary on the Gospel of Saint Luke, trans. R. Payne Smith (repr., Astoria, NY: Studion, 1983), 50.

  19. Luke writes “their” purification (Mary and Joseph), rather than “her” purification, probably because the stricter rabbis considered that a mother during this time would still be a source of ritual uncleanness for others (e.g., her husband) with whom she came in contact (m. Niddah 10:6). On this and other points discussed here, see Richard Bauckham, “Luke’s Infancy Narrative as Oral History in Scriptural Form,” in Estrada, Manicardi, and Puig i Tàrrech, The Gospels: History and Christology, 1:410–17.

  20. The following discussion draws on Andrés García Serrano, “Anna’s Characterization in Luke 2:36–38: A Case of Conceptual Allusion?,” Catholic Biblical Quarterly 76 (2014): 464–80.

  21. The 84 years may refer instead to the length of her widowhood, making her about 105 years old (about 14 years of virginity, 7 years of married life, 84 years of widowhood). This was the age attained by Judith, who like Anna was a widow noted for her fasting (Jdt 8:6; 16:23).

  22. Karol Wojtyła, Sign of Contradiction (New York: Seabury, 1979), 198.

  23. Josephus, Jewish Antiquities 5.348.

  24. Luke Timothy Johnson, The Gospel of Luke, Sacra Pagina 3 (Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 1991), 61–62.

  25. Luke 4:43; 9:22; 13:33; 17:25; 19:5; 22:37; 24:7, 26, 44.

  26. The word “house” is not found in Jesus’ reply, though it is implied by the temple context. />
  27. Maximilian M. Kolbe, from his Letters, quoted in The Liturgy of the Hours: Supplement (New York: Catholic Book Publishing, 1992), 11.

  28. Josemaría Escrivá, Furrow (New York: Scepter, 1987), §485.

  The Precursor and the Son of God

  Luke 3:1–4:13

  Some eighteen years after the previous scene, John’s prophetic mission begins. John prepares the way for Jesus with his baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. When Jesus himself is baptized, the Father’s voice acknowledges him as the beloved Son and the Holy Spirit descends upon him, signaling the beginning of his mission. To understand that mission, Jesus’ genealogy is presented, going back to Adam. Like Adam, Jesus is tempted by the devil. Unlike Adam, Jesus is victorious over temptation, thus revealing that he is the one who can save humanity from sin.

  The Preaching of John the Baptist (3:1–20)

  1In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias was tetrarch of Abilene, 2during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the desert. 3He went throughout [the] whole region of the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, 4as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah:

  “A voice of one crying out in the desert:

  ‘Prepare the way of the Lord,

  make straight his paths.

  5Every valley shall be filled

  and every mountain and hill shall be made low.

  The winding roads shall be made straight,

  and the rough ways made smooth,

  6and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’”

  7He said to the crowds who came out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? 8Produce good fruits as evidence of your repentance; and do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you, God can raise up children to Abraham from these stones. 9Even now the ax lies at the root of the trees. Therefore every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.”

  10And the crowds asked him, “What then should we do?” 11He said to them in reply, “Whoever has two tunics should share with the person who has none. And whoever has food should do likewise.” 12Even tax collectors came to be baptized and they said to him, “Teacher, what should we do?” 13He answered them, “Stop collecting more than what is prescribed.” 14Soldiers also asked him, “And what is it that we should do?” He told them, “Do not practice extortion, do not falsely accuse anyone, and be satisfied with your wages.”

  15Now the people were filled with expectation, and all were asking in their hearts whether John might be the Messiah. 16John answered them all, saying, “I am baptizing you with water, but one mightier than I is coming. I am not worthy to loosen the thongs of his sandals. He will baptize you with the holy Spirit and fire. 17His winnowing fan is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.” 18Exhorting them in many other ways, he preached good news to the people. 19Now Herod the tetrarch, who had been censured by him because of Herodias, his brother’s wife, and because of all the evil deeds Herod had committed, 20added still another to these by [also] putting John in prison.

  OT: Isa 40:3–5

  NT: Luke 1:17, 76–77, 80; 7:19–20; 9:9; John 1:15, 19–28; 3:28; Acts 1:5; 10:37; 11:16; 13:24–25; 19:4. // Matt 3:1–12; 14:3–4; Mark 1:2–8; 6:17–18

  Catechism: John the Baptist, 535, 696; fruits of repentance, 1460; works of mercy, 2447

  Lectionary: Luke 3:1–6: Second Sunday Advent (Year C); Luke 3:10–18: Third Sunday Advent (Year C)

  Beginning here, there are often parallels to Luke’s account in Matthew or Mark or both. At times, therefore, Luke’s theological message can be better understood by comparing accounts, noting especially his distinctive elements.

  [3:1]

  Luke’s third correlation between the events he recounts and world history is the most detailed (see 1:5; 2:1). Thirty years or so (3:23) have passed since the events of Jesus’ birth. Tiberius Caesar has succeeded his stepfather Augustus as Roman emperor, reigning from AD 14 to 37. Roman-Jewish relations in the land of Israel are relatively calm during this period: “under Tiberius all was quiet.”1 The fifteenth year of his reign corresponds to AD 28–29, which is consistent with the other information provided here. Pontius Pilate was governor, specifically prefect, of Judea from AD 26 to 36, when he was suspended by Vitellius, the Roman legate in Syria. Herod Antipas was tetrarch of Galilee and Perea from the death of his father until AD 39, when he was exiled by the emperor Gaius (Caligula). Pilate and Herod will come together at Jesus’ trial (23:12; Acts 4:27). Herod’s half brother Philip was tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, northeast of the Sea of Galilee, until his death around AD 34. He rebuilt Caesarea Philippi (Matt 16:13; Mark 8:27). Lysanias was tetrarch of Abilene, northwest of Damascus. All three of these tetrarchies were later ruled by King Herod Agrippa I (see Acts 12), a grandson of Herod the Great.2

  [3:2–3]

  Besides civic leaders, Luke also lists two Jewish high priests. Annas was appointed high priest by Quirinius (Luke 2:2) in AD 6, and deposed by the Roman prefect Gratus in AD 153—a good example of how Rome controlled the high priesthood. Luke mentions him because he continued to exercise influence (see John 18:13, 24; Acts 4:6), as five of his sons and his son-in-law Caiaphas became high priest after him. Caiaphas was high priest from AD 18 to 36 or 37, when he was deposed by Vitellius. These two high priests are among the unnamed “chief priests” mentioned later (e.g., Luke 22:66).

  In the days of all these leaders, the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah. John is presented exactly like Old Testament prophets who received the word of God at specific historical moments.4 John is still in the desert (1:80), and this too is part of God’s plan (see v. 4). The desert is the Judean wilderness (see Matt 3:1) in the whole region of the Jordan River, northwest of the Dead Sea. Since Qumran was nearby, the young John, a priest’s son, may have had some contact with that priestly community. The Jordan was also the place where Elijah was taken up to heaven in a whirlwind (2 Kings 2:6–14). It is now the place where John appears as a prophet “in the spirit and power of Elijah” (Luke 1:17).

  John’s prophetic mission, already announced by Zechariah (1:77), involves proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins (see Mark 1:4). This is the legacy for which he will be remembered in the early Church (Acts 10:37; 13:24; 19:4). John’s preaching prepares for Jesus’ own mission of calling people to repentance (Luke 5:32; 13:3, 5) and forgiving their sins (5:20; 7:48). Jesus will also instruct his disciples to proclaim “repentance, for the forgiveness of sins . . . to all the nations” (24:47). “Repentance” (metanoia)—literally, a “change of mind”—leads to a change of behavior: a conversion or turning away from sin (3:8; 15:7, 10; Acts 26:20).

  Figure 4. The baptismal site Qasr al-Yahud on the Jordan River. [Silvano Kim]

  John’s ministry of baptizing, which gave him the title “the Baptist” (Luke 7:20, 33; 9:19), can be considered against the background of Jewish ritual washings and immersions that are prescribed for ritual cleansing (e.g., Lev 15). One had to wash in a mikveh (pool for ritual bathing) before entering the temple courts. Other washings were practiced by groups such as the Pharisees on the basis of ancestral traditions (Luke 11:38; Mark 7:1–5). In contrast with these ritual washings, however, John’s baptism was specifically connected to his call to repentance, echoing Isaiah: “Wash yourselves clean! / Put away your misdeeds from before my eyes; / cease doing evil” (Isa 1:16). Proselytes converting to Judaism would undergo such a ritual washing that also implied a turning away from sinful ways, but this may be a later practice. John’s proximity to Qumran suggests a parallel to the rit
ual washings there, which also entailed reforming one’s life: “One is not cleansed unless one turns away from one’s wickedness.”5 However, whereas most of these ritual washings were done repeatedly, a person apparently received John’s baptism only once, and received it from him personally (Luke 7:29–30; 20:4) or later from his disciples (Acts 18:25; 19:3).

  BIBLICAL BACKGROUND

  Jewish Groups and Leaders

  In the first century, high priests like Annas and Caiaphas (Luke 3:2) led the Jerusalem †Sanhedrin (22:66), the Jewish people’s supreme judicial council or “senate” (Acts 5:21) with seventy other members (see Num 11:16, 24–25). The council handled internal Jewish affairs, interacting with the Roman authorities when necessary (Luke 23:1; Acts 22:30). The general terms “leaders” and “rulers” are also used to refer to its members or those associated with them (e.g., Luke 19:47; 23:35; Acts 4:5–6). More specifically, the Sanhedrin included chief priests, elders, and scribes (Luke 9:22; 20:1; Mark 15:1). The “chief priests” (Luke 22:4; 23:4) included the high priest plus former high priests and other members of the high priest’s family (Acts 4:6). For the most part they belonged to the Sadducee party (Acts 5:17), which denied the resurrection of the dead (Luke 20:27; Acts 23:8) since they accepted only those doctrines clearly found in the five books of Moses (see Luke 20:37). Also among the Sadducees were the “elders” (22:52), wealthy members of the Jerusalem aristocracy (different from village “elders,” 7:3).